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As Pete Hegseth continues to gather support for his nomination to lead the Department of Defensea conservative research group has compiled a list of senior “woke” officials they want him fired if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) sent a letter to Hegseth with a list of 20 general officers or senior admirals it says are overly focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI ) and other similar leftists. -wing initiatives Eight of these 20 are women.
The people on the list in many cases appear to be targeted for public comments they made in interviews or events about diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. AAF says focusing on these policies is a hindrance to national security, while some military leaders have expressed concern about the list.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, is seen before a meeting with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, at the Hart Building on December 5. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, left, US Army, right.)
“The takeover of the military is a major threat to our national security,” AAF President Thomas Jones wrote in the letter to Hegseth dated Tuesday and first published by the New York Post.
“As global tensions rise, with Iran on the march, Russia at war and China in the midst of a massive military build-up, we cannot afford to have a military distracted and demoralized by leftist ideology,” he added. “Those responsible for these policies must be removed in the first place.”
The term “wake up” it is often used in reference to progressive and politically correct stances on race, gender ideology, and other hot-button issues.
The group posted on X that awakened leaders must be fired on the first day. “Awakening has no place in the military,” the group wrote.
On Friday, the AAF doubled down on its position.
“Many don’t want to hear this, but it’s the truth: DEI in the military will get people killed. Stop it NOW before it’s too late,” AAF posted on X.
Hegseth, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. He has long criticized the military’s adoption of DEI policies instead of meritocracy, complaining that it also diverts the focus from war preparedness.
TRUMP FLOATS DESANTIS AS POTENTIAL DEFENSE SECRETARY REPLACEMENT IF HEGSETH IS MISSING
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet as they walk through the basement of the Capitol, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
If confirmed on paper, Hegseth would be in charge of 1.3 million active-duty service members and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the military.
Some of those on the list include Air Force Col. Ben Jonsson, who wrote an op-ed in July 2020 demanding that his white colleagues “care” and “address our blind spots around of race,” according to the letter.
Also in the AAF spotlight is Navy Vice Admiral Jeffery Hughes, who spoke at the 2022 DEI Summit and stressed the importance of DEI recruiting “exceptional talent.”
Air Force Maj. Gen. Elizabeth Arledge also made the list and was singled out by the AAF for making “woke posts” on her social media.
In one post, Arledge shared articles that featured “discussions of whiteness in organizational theory and the ways in which (verb) whiteness has become naturalized as an ideal in organizations.”
Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield was also listed and criticized for a 2015 speech in which she lamented that lawmakers in the House of Representatives at the time were 80 percent male, proclaiming that “our diversity is our strength “.
Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield was one of 20 people on the list. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Ellis Island Honors Society))
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said in a statement that “No policy should be considered official unless it comes directly from President Trump.”
A defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the list said senior leaders hope that once Trump is sworn in, they can discuss the issue further. They are prepared to provide additional context to the incoming administration, the official told The Associated Press, which reports that it is not releasing the names to protect the privacy of service members.
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday that the list would have “considerable, far-reaching and profound consequences.” He said when the military sees people stand out, they will begin to focus on their own survival rather than the mission or their job.
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Multiple sources he confirmed to Fox News that Trump is considering nominating Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as defense secretary to replace Hegseth amid the allegations against him.
But Hegseth dismissed the potential replacement, telling reporters he was ready to fight.
“As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’ll be right here in this fight, fighting to return our Pentagon to what it should be,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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